


i love you (no, i don’t)

by Joxmarf



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, and then he runs away, emotions (derogatory), revali confesses in the worst way possible, wabwbabab revali is so relatable in this fic istg, wrote this for some discord peeps !!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29803323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joxmarf/pseuds/Joxmarf
Summary: Revali confesses his feelings for Link, but he automatically regrets it.
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 77





	i love you (no, i don’t)

The flight range had been a cold, hard place. Made of old wood and haunted by northern winds, it was eerie ; a sign of civilization amidst the ice. Revali remembered asking for it when he was young, believing other Rito would be enthusiastic to have a place to master their abilities. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case. Soon he was left alone, surrounded by silence and rocky mountains. Eventually, it became his home.

After having defeated Calamity Ganon, Link expressed his desire to visit Rito Village. _ I went there as a knight. In duty, there’s no time to truly enjoy oneself _ . Revali shrugged because, honestly, why would he care? Rito Village was beautiful, that was true, but the hustle and bustle made it everything but peaceful. If the hero expected quietness, then he’d do better to visit Lurelin or Hateno (wasn’t he from there? Revali had had no clue, nor had he cared). 

One day, when Revali was running some errands at the village, he saw a smiling Link , though he couldn’t help but notice the bags under his eyes. “It's the chirping, isn’t it?” Revali said, smug. “Day and night… it never stops. I imagine it is impossible for  _ delicate _ Hylians such as yourself to sleep amidst all the noise.” Sarcasm bled into his voice, but he’d been more concerned than anything. 

So, Revali, as Link’s ally in the battle against the Calamity (which is a euphemism for: forced by diplomacy and social conventions), had invited him to stay at the flight range. He hadn’t expected him to accept (when someone invites you to their house and you know they are doing it unwillingly, you _ don’t _ say yes, do you?), but he did. 

Link stayed for a week, but they both kept making excuses to prolong his stay. When Link was finally leaving, Revali told him the place would be empty without him and that his company was ‘surprisingly bearable, which is impressive for a Hylian.’

Link laughed and stayed. Slowly but surely, his presence became more than bearable. 

The shift in their relationship wasn’t sudden. It developed slowly. Revali picked berries (even if he didn’t like them) because he knew they were Link’s favourites. Link listened to his ramblings about archery. They would pat each other on the back, a subtle way of saying ‘I’m here’, and they would give each other space because, like all good things, there needed to be a balance of closeness and distance. 

One day, Revali returned to the flight range covered with snow. It was a nuisance going out when it snowed, but fortunately shaking his feathers was enough to dust it off. However, he didn’t dare to do so, not with Link with him.

_ Ridiculous _ , he thought. A few months ago, he would have tossed a snowball on the Hylian’s face.

“ _ You’re covered in snow _ ,” Link signed, a soft smile curling his lips. A bow was slung over his shoulder. They had gone hunting, but a sudden blizzard ruined their plans. Link didn’t seem to mind. His smile lingered even though he was shivering and no animal had been hunted. 

Revali sighed and approached the fireplace. The snow would melt and wet his feathers, which would be an uncomfortable experience. 

_ Okay, never mind. _ Now that Link wasn’t close (he was by a railing, his cold fingers clutching the old wood tightly. Revali wondered what was so interesting about a landscape blurred by a snowstorm, but then again, contrary to what Revali had thought, Link was easily amazed) he could shake the snow off. 

_ “May I?” _ Revali’s gaze flickered from the fire to Link, who had approached him quietly. 

“May you what?”

_ “Help,”  _ Link sat next to him, gesturing vaguely to his wings. It took a moment for Revali to understand what he was requesting. 

His feathers ruffled at the thought. 

“This is a rather simple activity that requires no assistance,” It was also a personal activity that he didn’t know if he wanted to share with Link. Rito couples would often preen each others’ wings and, while that was very different to dusting snow off, touching one’s feathers was intimate and only reserved for loved ones. 

Link was a loved one, yes, but nothing about their relationship was certain, which was scary because that could mean their bond was only special to him and that he was completely misunderstanding things (Revali also had a hard time opening up about emotions, which made matters worse. Why can’t relationships be easier?)

Link gave him an understanding smile and nodded. He turned his attention to the flames and Revali did too, pretending he wasn’t lingering on his suggestion.

“Okay, fine,” Revali sighed as if Link had insisted, “Just dust it off and…”

Link gave him a tender smile. Carefully, he placed his gloved hands on his wing and ran his fingers through the feathers.

_ “May I kiss some?”  _

Revali choked, speechless. _ Kiss?  _ He knew that was an intimate gesture among Hylians. Kissing was what preening was to the Rito. Why would Link...? Revali shook his head, replying a quick yes. He ought not to make assumptions. He didn’t know enough about Hylian culture to judge whether a kiss was significant in this context. 

Some snowflakes didn’t come off with ease, so Link kissed them until they melted away. Revali twitched, very flustered. His eyes bounced all over the place as if they were looking for something. He wasn’t used to being taken cared of, at least not with such devotion. He couldn’t feel Link’s lips on his feathers, but he did feel the pressure against his skin, gentle and warm. Comforting, like a wool blanket. 

Then Link pulled away, and the moment ended.

“And… and the rest of the snow?” Revali asked, clicking his beak nervously. 

_ “Dusted it off, like you said.” _

“Right.”

Revali tugged at his own feathers. He knew a ‘thank you’ would suffice, but he was too embarrassed to say anything.

Link hugged his knees and looked away. 

Revali remembered the first time they had met. He had been unbelievably irritated by the knight’s silence. He did not straighten his back, nor did he force a furious glint on his eyes. Yet without raising his voice, his presence carried an unwavering authority that made people _ listen _ .  _ It’s the sword _ , that was what Revali had deceived himself with. 

Princess Zelda must have felt her authority threatened by the knight, for she would often complain about the hero and his everlasting stare. _“He never takes his eyes off me.”_ Zelda would say. Revali would nod as if he understood, even though Link seldom looked at him. It had taken him a long time to admit that was what had infuriated him most. 

In retrospective, he had been silly. Link wasn’t a cold, hardened knight. His heart was just sheltered, safe. And that was okay.

Eventually, the storm receded until it stopped completely. Revali gave Link a nudge.

“It stopped.” 

Link nodded.

“I’m going to run some quick errands at the village,” Revali got up and grabbed his bow. Its grip was comforting. “Would you like to come?”

Link pursed his lips and mused for a moment. He shook his head. 

“Alright,” Revali slung his weapon over his shoulder and turned around, heading to the platform. “See you later, I love you.”

Wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

What had he…?

The sudden declaration made Link smile, though the expression vanished once he noticed Revali’s sheer horror. His beak was open, his eyes out of orbit, his face frozen in panic. 

“Uhhhhhhhhh,” Revali said.

He tried to find the right words to undo this mess.

Yet, the words that came out of beak were the worst. Goddesses be damned.  _ Why had he said that? _ Only a moron would deny what they clearly felt because they were scared of being vulnerable.

And, of course, Revali was a moron. A distinguished moron, if you may. So he pointed a finger at Link and exclaimed, with a confident and almost mocking voice, “No, I don’t.”

Before Link could even reply, Revali rushed outside and flew away, dying internally.

That terrible, uncomfortable moment haunted him for the rest of the day. He climbed up and down the village’s stairs seven times before finally being able to function enough to do his tasks. Even after having that dreadful meeting with the Elder, Revali paced around the village, visiting different acquaintances—which was something he usually didn’t do—for the sake of not dealing with the consequences of his actions. (Revali considered himself an assertive person. That was not the case.)

Anyways, once Revali ran out of ideas on how to waste his time, he went back home. Hebra was quiet and motionless, a picture of cold serenity. Revali wondered what Link had done during the day. Had he gone hunting? Fishing? Had he explored the depths of the forest? Whenever he had done, Revali knew he would be back at the flight range.

In a world full of uncertainty, he knew Link would be back. He had never had someone waiting for him before. It was nice. 

Once he landed, Revali rushed inside. A pot made a rattling noise, and the aroma of safflina and swift violet filled his nostrils. It smelled like warm welcomes. 

Revali cleared his throat. “About what, er, happened…”

Link looked up from his task, surprised, and served him some tea. The cup was hot to the touch, but Link barely flinched. Revali accepted the beverage. 

_ “You don’t have to say it. I wouldn’t force you to,” _ Link looked down at his own cup.  _ “You were patient with me, so I’ll be too.” _

Revali sat next to him, sighing. It wasn’t about that. Link would give him time, he knew, but it was  _ him _ who had to open his heart and hope it didn’t break. 

Why did he expect it to break, anyways? 

“It’s difficult to… say it out loud,” Revali admitted, the words sticking in his throat unpleasantly. 

Link nodded. 

_ “It’s..” _

“I’m being ridiculous,” Revali said, “Sorry.”

Link blinked, confused. He raised his hands to continue signing, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he stopped for a long moment.

_ “I say it all the time.” _

Revali raised an eyebrow, bewildered. What?

_ “Just not verbally.” _

That was not helping. Link said much nonverbally. He had mastered the art of never having to open his mouth. That was his  _ thing _ . 

_ “You being the first person I see when I wake up brings me joy. You being part of my routine is nice, and...”  _ Link took a shaky breath. So, Revali hadn’t been the _ only  _ one holding his emotions close to their heart _.  _ Link was hesitant too, but he was doing his best to reach out. 

Revali would do the same. 

“Are you happy with me?”

Link was taken aback. 

_ “Yes, are you?” _

Revali nodded. 

_ “Then I see no problem.” _

Revali laughed wholeheartedly. He saw no problem, either. 

Perhaps love isn’t a grand, pompous force that transfigures your existence. Perhaps love lies in sharing a life with someone. Perhaps it lies in a cup of tea, or a discrete kiss. A warm smile. Or silence, the kind that stretches long enough. 

_ “But if you were wondering, I do love you. Very much.” _

Maybe love comes in small doses — small enough to carry in your heart. There must be plenty of it, too, because somehow Revali was full of it. 

“I love you too.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! this one-shot fic was inspired by a line of dialogue in bojack horseman jshdhf it made me laugh a lot and reminded me so much of revali, so i wrote this ! let me know what you think in the comments !!


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